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Prevalence and histopathological characteristics of Linguatula serrata infection among slaughtered ruminants in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran

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Abstract

There is no data concerning the status of Linguatula serrata (L. serrata) infection in ruminants in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the prevalence and pathologic features of linguatulosis, among slaughtered ruminants in several abattoirs in Mazandaran Province. The infection rate of L. serrata in mesenteric lymph nodes of sheep, goats, and cattle were grossly and microscopically examined. Overall, of 6249 goats, sheep, and cattle examined, 16.8% of goats, 6.8% of sheep, and 6.9% of cattle were found to be infected with L. serrata nymphs. In general, the prevalence rate of L. serrata infection was 9.1% in these animals. The prevalence of L.serrata infection in goats was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the other animals. Locality survey illustrated the majority (86.7%) of sheep and goats infected with L.serrata were non-indigenous and belonged to Eastern parts of Iran; but this proportion in regards to cattle was reverse. Granulomatous reaction was formed with giant cells, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and macrophages around the degenerated parasite were mainly observed. In addition, typical acidophilic glands in the anterior region of the parasite are pathognomonic characteristic for diagnosing nymphs in the tissue sections. The high prevalence of L. serrata infection in the ruminants verified the hyperendemic situation of linguatulosis in the Eastern part of Iran and will represent a risk for inhabitants in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank veterinary technicians for their technical assistants and animal inspection at Mazandaran abattoirs. This study was funded by the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (grant no. 1015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Student Research Committee, Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Rabeeh Tabaripour

  2. Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center, Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Mahdi Fakhar & Mehdi Sharif

  3. Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran

    Abbas Alizadeh & Mohammad Reza Youssefi

  4. Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran

    Reza Tabaripour

  5. Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Saeed Hosseini Teshnizi

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  1. Rabeeh Tabaripour
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Correspondence to Mahdi Fakhar.

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During all stages of our research, all applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. In addition, this article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors and does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. There has been no significant financial support for this research work.

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Tabaripour, R., Fakhar, M., Alizadeh, A. et al. Prevalence and histopathological characteristics of Linguatula serrata infection among slaughtered ruminants in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Comp Clin Pathol 26, 1259–1265 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-017-2517-0

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